The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) is calling on members of the public to record their at-sea excursions and sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and endangered basking sharks off Scotland’s west coast. The aim is to boost monitoring efforts and strengthen understanding of the coronavirus lockdown’s impact on these animals.
With wildlife around the world reported to be taking advantage of reduced human activity, the Trust wants to discover more about what has been happening in Hebridean seas, which are globally important for cetaceans – the collective name for whales, dolphins and porpoises – and basking sharks.
But the Trust’s ability to gather crucial scientific evidence for the effective conservation of these remarkable animals has been hit hard by the global COVID-19 pandemic – leaving it facing the biggest gap in its data collection for two decades.
The charity’s regular at-sea scientific research expeditions by scientists and volunteers onboard its specialised yacht, Silurian, are cancelled. There has also been an 80 percent decrease in reported sightings of cetaceans by members of the public compared to 2019.
With lockdown restrictions easing, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust is appealing to people living and working on the west coast to log their excursions, report sightings and submit photographs through its quick and easy-to-use Whale Track website or to download the free Whale Track app, which works in the most remote areas of the Hebrides without network coverage or WiFi.
Dr Lauren Hartny-Mills, Science and Conservation Manager at the HWDT, says:
“We don’t yet know what the impacts of lockdown will be on cetaceans, but with fewer boats and activities taking place at sea, it will almost certainly have been a lot quieter out there. This may have had important benefits for whales and dolphins, which rely on sound for communication, foraging and their ultimate survival.
“Reporting is easy, and every excursion logged on Whale Track – whether a ferry crossing or a kayaking trip – will make a difference to our understanding of what impact lockdown has had on Scottish whales and dolphins.”
Sightings and photographs will also help the Trust’s researchers track the movement of resident coastal species like bottlenose dolphins, and learn more about rarer visitors like killer whales and humpback whales.
There are already 11,466 records, covering 18 species of whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust on the NBN Atlas.